Hervey Feldman, 67; Known as Father of Embassy Suites Hotels

Hervey Feldman, 67, a hotel magnate who was known as the father of the Embassy Suites hotels, died of cancer Tuesday at his home in Dallas, company officials said. Feldman and his partner, Thomas Corcoran, turned $15,000 in what they called “hobby money” into one of the nation’s premier hotel real estate investment trusts, FelCor Lodging.

Feldman worked in the hotel industry for more than 40 years, mostly with Holiday Inn-related companies and Embassy Suites, where he served as chief executive and later chairman. Under his leadership, Embassy Suites, a chain that offers apartment-like rooms, grew from one hotel to more than 130.

Under Feldman and Corcoran, FelCor in 1991 purchased its first hotel, a Holiday Inn near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. They took the company public in 1994, raising about $85 million.